Oregon Pronunciation Guide

Talking Books Presentation/Demonstration, Senior Center, May 20

Letter to the Editor: Re-elect County Commissioner Mike Smith

Links: Things to Think About & Things to Do

“The establishment of civil and religious liberty was the motive which induced me to the field — the object is attained — and it now remains to be my earnest wish and prayer, that the citizens of the United States could make a wise and virtuous use of the blessings placed before them.” —George Washington (1783)

“It is an unquestionable truth, that the body of the people in every country desire sincerely its prosperity. But it is equally unquestionable that they do not possess the discernment and stability necessary for systematic government. To deny that they are frequently led into the grossest of errors, by misinformation and passion, would be a flattery which their own good sense must despise.” —Alexander Hamilton (1788)

1. Oregon Retired Educators to Meet in Maupin, May 17

Unit 20, Oregon Retired Educators, will meet noon Tuesday, the 17th at the Imperial River Company in Maupin. The program will be presented by Sue Knapp on the South Wasco County Alliance’s mission and activities. All persons interested in education, wishing to hear a great presentation, appreciating dining beside the beautiful Deschutes River are invited to attend. Luncheon reservations may be made by calling Unit 20 President George Clark at 541-296-5933.

2. Author Brian Doyle to Read and Sign at Klindt’s Booksellers, May 15

Sunday, May 15th, 4 p.m.

Free and open to the public

Oregon’s oldest bookstore is excited to host author Brian Doyle for an afternoon event featuring his new novel, Chicago. A Northwest favorite, Brian Doyle’s novels have captured the hearts of readers across the spectrum. Charming and quirky, his novels grapple with what it means to be a human interacting with every living organism.

A love letter to Chicago, the Great American City, and a wry account of a young man’s coming-of-age during the one summer in White Sox history when they had the best outfield in baseball, Brian Doyle’s Chicago is a novel that will plunge you into a city you will never forget, and may well wish to visit for the rest of your days. Brian Doyle edits Portland Magazine at the University of Portland. He is the author of six collections of essays, two nonfiction books, two collections of “proems,” the short story collection Bin Laden’s Bald Spot, the novella Cat’s Foot, and the novels Mink River, The Plover, and Martin Marten. He is also the editor of several anthologies. Doyle’s books have seven times been finalists for the Oregon Book Award, and his essays have appeared in The Atlantic Monthly, Harper’s, Orion, The American Scholar, The Sun, The Georgia Review, and in newspapers and magazines around the world, including The New York Times, The Times of London, and The Age. His essays have also been reprinted in the annual Best American Essays, Best American Science & Nature Writing, and Best American Spiritual Writing anthologies. Among various honors for his work is a Catholic Book Award, three Pushcart Prizes, John Burroughs Award for Nature Essays, Foreword Reviews’ Novel of the Year award in 2011, and the Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 2008.

3. Shared State and County Services Serve the Same Oregonians!

The State:

—general administrator

—state property manager

—state courts, patrol, prison

—child protection

—mental health hospital

—housing

—highways

—state parks.

Services Shared by County and State:

—administration

—assessment and taxation

—PERS

—elections

—county jails

—community corrections

—court security

—district attorney

—9-1-1

—juvenile services

—aging services

—alcohol/drug programs

—children and families

—developmental disabilities

—mental health services

—veterans’ services

—public health

—environmental health

—planning

—economic/community development

—engineering

—roads

—housing

—Oregon Plan

—public forests

—federal land policy

—telecommunications

—county fair

—water-master.

Counties:

—administration

—property management

—records

—county law library

—sheriff patrol

—medical examiner

—animal control

—solid waste

—surveying

—capital projects

—county forests, parks

—libraries.

~ Association of Oregon Counties

5. Talking Books Presentation/Demonstration, Senior Center, May 20

The State of Oregon, funded by a federal grant, make available talking books to anyone having difficulty reading, no matter the reason. One does not need to be declared blind or even seeing impaired to be able to take advantage of the Talking Books program.

The Talking Books program offers professionally recorded books, magazines, and even some recorded musical scores. These can be delivered through the mail, or downloaded immediately from online for registered users. If you have a temporary address outside of Oregon for periods of time throughout the year, the BARD Talking Books program will happily send your materials there while you’re out of state.

A presentation and demonstration on the BARD Talking Books program at the Sherman County Senior & Community Center, 300 Dewey Street, Moro, Oregon on Friday, May 20th at 12:00 during luncheon. There you can see and hear a Talking Books device and cassette, learn about the program, and register on site if you’re interested. For more information about this presentation, contact:

This week, U.S. Rep. Greg Walden (R-Hood River) met with physicians, first responders, members of the law enforcement community, and families impacted by drug addiction from around the state. The topic of discussion: combating the growing opioid epidemic in Oregon.

At three roundtable events in Bend, Medford, and Hermiston, Walden heard firsthand from the people on the ground about which policies are working, and which are not, in the fight to improve treatment and recovery programs for addicts, and prevent more tragic deaths due to drug overdose. In the coming weeks, the House will vote on over a dozen bipartisan bills to help fix this problem.

7. Letter to the Editor: Re-elect County Commissioner Mike Smith

I’m writing in support of re-electing County Commissioner, Mike Smith. I first met Mike in June, 2012. I was the manager of the Oregon Students Recycling Used Technology program, employed by Columbia Gorge Education Service District in The Dalles, and Mike was the chair of Mid-Columbia Council of Government’s Board of Directors, and County Commissioner for Sherman County. Our paths crossed because CGESD’s superintendent had notified me that he had planned to recommend to the CGESD Board that they sunset the StRUT program, or I could find another home for it with another organization. Apparently the ESD’s mission and focus had changed and supporting a student based technology program was no longer consistent with their mission. I opted to find another home for the StRUT program, rather than let it be dissolved. The first time I met Mike, I knew he was passionate about technology and he fully supported the notion that young people should continue to receive the opportunity to tinker with equipment donated by Intel, OHSU, Google and other companies – In his words: “This is a no-brainer!”, and with that, I knew Mike would become one of the biggest champions to save the StRUT program and move it to Mid-Columbia Council of Government. I remember after we saved the StRUT program by moving it to MCCOG, StRUT hosted a robotics training event in Moro – Parents drove their kids clear from Mosier, and I fondly recall Mike showing his enthusiasm by attending, talking to kids, and seeing the robots they built and programmed.

I moved to Sherman County in 2013, and I’m always excited to hear about and see the many contributions Mike has made as our County Commissioner. I’ve seen firsthand how Mike isn’t afraid to roll up his sleeves and fight for our county, as we all saw with the health district, bringing mental health services to the county, high-speed internet, economic development opportunities, and Mike always makes himself available for matters concerning the county or anyone that lives in it.